Space Oddity
by Mako Headrush
Summary: Cid Highwind finally realizes his dream of flying into space...but at what cost? Inspired by the lyrics of "Space Oddity" by David Bowie, this is an idea that's been brewing for a very long time. Also written for a word prompt challenge - the word was "space", so of course, I naturally thought of Cid, and ran with it. Two-shot; pairing is Cid/Shera. Rated T for Cid's mouth.
1. Chapter 1

**Summary: Cid Highwind finally realizes his dream of flying into space...but at what cost? Inspired by the lyrics of "Space Oddity" by David Bowie, this is a plotbunny that's been nibbling for a ****_very_**** long time. This was also written for a word prompt for my fic group - the word was "space", so of course...I naturally thought of Cid.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Final Fantasy, Squeenix does; nor do I own any song lyrics quoted within. This is written for fun and not profit.**

**Pairing: established Cid and Shera, though I also touch heavily on Cid's friendship with Vincent here. Rated T for some language (this is Cid after all!)**

* * *

_For here_  
_Am I sitting in a tin can_  
_Far above the world_  
_Planet Earth is blue_  
_And there's nothing I can do_

_Though I'm past _  
_one hundred thousand miles_  
_I'm feeling very still_  
_And I think my spaceship knows which way to go_

**"Space Oddity" - David Bowie**

* * *

"_Captain Highwind, we are ready for launch_!"

Cid grinned widely upon hearing the voice over his headset, up in the cockpit of the space shuttle that was just moments away from propelling him into space; those words from ground control were words he'd been waiting so long to hear, ever since the failed launch in Rocket Town so many years ago.

_Shera...I did ya wrong back then, and I'm sorry fer that_, Cid thought, strapping himself into the pilot's seat. _I hope I've made it up to ya in the years since then._ Cid glanced down at the plain gold band encircling his left ring finger, and smiled. _Why that woman didn't kick my ass to the curb, I'll never know, but I'm happy as hell she didn't. _A small color photo of Cid and Shera was tucked into the control panel of the cockpit, just over Cid's head, and he touched the edges of it, grinning. It was their wedding photo; they'd been married in an informal, impromptu ceremony at the Gold Saucer, with none other than Dio presiding over the proceedings, he being an ordained minister.

_Yeah, it was a casual wedding, but still - the guy could have put a fucking shirt o_n, Cid noted, smirking as he glanced fondly at the photograph. _Or some goddamned __**pants**__, shit_. In between himself and Shera stood Dio, clad only in his usual bikini briefs, showing off his well-muscled body as he always did. Like most things in Cid Highwind's life, the wedding had been completely unpredictable and non-traditional, but when all was said and done, even Shera had said she wouldn't have had it any other way.

Snapping out of his reverie, Cid tucked the photograph further back into the control panel. He tapped his headset as he settled into the pilot's seat, and spoke into the two-way speaker. "All systems are go here, I'm ready!" Cid felt like a tiger ready to pounce on his prey; how long had it been, that he'd wanted this?

_All my life, all I ever wanted...was to get out there and to touch the stars,_ Cid mused, waiting for the countdown to start. _Doesn't even feel real now, but this is it...it's finally happening. Today._

* * *

It was to be a quick solo flight, to the moon and back; the inaugural run of a new rocket that had been developed by Shinra, Inc. Cid looked up over his head as he lay back, eyeing the monitors and webcams overhead that would link him back to Ground Control on Gaia, allowing everyone there to peer into the space capsule. The event was drawing great publicity and was to be televised globally. Naturally, Rufus Shinra was in attendance at Ground Control, along with his Turks, as well as Cloud Strife and Vincent Valentine. Shera was one of the scientists supervising the launch; she wore a headset and was sitting in front of a computer monitor, all of Cid's friends looking in on her through the large window. The spectators were just outside mission command, and could easily see and hear everything that was going on inside.

"I'm going to the fucking moon, Vin!" Cid shouted, drawing a smile from the gunman. "To the moon! See ya when I get back! You holding my ciggies for me, right? Shera says I can't smoke up in this tin can, yadda yadda." He winked at Shera, grinning like an idiot; nothing could ruin Cid's enthusiasm on this day, not even the fact that he wouldn't be allowed to smoke for the duration of the trip into space.

Vincent grinned and nodded through the glass, giving the thumbs-up sign_. Of course…got them right here, chief_, and he gestured, patting his chest. The pack of cigarettes, half-empty, lay inside Vincent's inside pocket of his jacket. Though he didn't like the fact that Cid still smoked; knowing, of course, that smoking tobacco could cause some serious health issues, Vincent didn't really mind holding the pack for his friend. It was more of a symbolic gesture than anything else, anyway. Vincent planned on looking in on Shera during Cid's absence as well.

* * *

Earlier, just before takeoff, Tifa, Yuffie, and Barret showed up, along with Nanaki. "He blast off yet?" Barret asked of nobody in particular.

"Not yet," Cloud replied, exchanging a worried glance with Vincent. _Think he'll be okay up there?_ the look seemed to say.

Vincent correctly interpreted the gaze, and put a hand on Cloud's shoulder. "This is the Captain, Cloud," Vincent murmured softly. "I'm sure everything will be fine." He didn't want to admit out loud that he was having the same forebodings that Cloud was. "Besides, Shera's not about to let anything happen to her husband, right?" Vincent smiled as Shera glanced back at the group, waving at them. Her expression was calm, unworried. They'd been through countless test launches before, every one of them had gone textbook-perfect. Shera was elated that Cid would finally realize his dream; she only wished that she could have gone with him, but there was a very good reason why she'd remained behind, content to monitor the launch back on Gaia.

Cid's face appeared on her monitor; he'd switched on the webcam in the cockpit, and he gave Shera a toothy grin. "How's my babe doing?" he asked, voice gruff, yet his gaze at Shera was tender, something nobody would have predicted years ago when the two former roommates had fought like cats and dogs.

"Doing just fine," Shera replied, running a hand over her abdomen. By the time Cid returned from his three month trip to the moon and back, their child would be born. The pregnancy had been a surprise, but then, the marriage had also been a surprise - even to Cid himself, who had sworn up and down that he was a confirmed bachelor.

"Takin' yer baby vitamins, Shera?" Cid began to lecture, and Shera grinned.

"Aye aye, captain," she replied, giving him a mock salute. "No more coffee, either...this is decaf," Shera added, pointing to her coffee mug.

Cid's expression was one of abject horror. "Thank Shiva men can't get pregnant," he groaned. "I need my goddamned caffeine!" The two laughed a moment, then Shera's assistant appeared by her side, handing her a report.

"Nearly ready for launch, my love," Shera told Cid, blowing him a kiss. "Stand by...did you go through your pre-flight checklist?"

"I did," Cid confirmed, blue eyes twinkling. "I pretended you were standing right over my ass, naggin' me," he added good naturedly.

Shera snorted. "You're terrible," she replied, grinning.

Cid's expression softened. "Shera - I just wanted to say - all those years I was such an asshole to you - I'm sorry. I did ya wrong, I know I did, and I regret it."

"And you've more than made up for everything since then, Cid," Shera argued. "No regrets. I wasn't exactly easy to live with then, either - kind of a dingbat, wasn't I?" She smirked as Cid erupted into laughter.

"Yeah," he replied, snickering. "You...kinda were. Hey, I'm gonna go over everything one last time, babe. Safety first, ya know."

"Good," Shera said, cracking her neck to relieve the tension there. How long had she been parked in front of this computer monitor, anyway? "I'm glad you're doing that, Cid. I'll be right back, I need to stretch my legs a bit before the launch begins."

"You do that," Cid told her, reading from his chart as he flipped switches on the control panels of the spacecraft, checking everything one more time. "Take care of yourself...and our son."

Shera laughed as she stepped away from the console. _You know it's a girl, you stubborn old goat_, she thought, chuckling. Shera exited mission control, and joined Vincent and Cloud and all of Cid's friends out in the waiting area. "Thank you all for coming," she said graciously. "Cid is so pleased all of his friends are here, I'd told him when you all arrived."

"I couldn't miss this for anything," Vincent said warmly, red eyes twinkling. He was excited to see his best friend finally realize his dream; finally, perhaps, things were starting to turn around for this small group of friends who had saved the Planet not just once, but _twice_.

The diminutive Shera smiled up at the imposing-looking former Turk and impulsively pulled him in for a hug. Vincent was her husband's best friend, and Shera didn't really know how to put into words, what that friendship meant to both herself and Cid. All the test runs that had been failures, Cid's frustration at thinking his dream might never be realized - Vincent had been there through it all, always willing to listen to Cid's ranting and raving and cursing about everything.

"Cid wants you to be the godfather, you know," Shera said, looking up at Vincent again and smiling. Cloud heard this and grinned.

"I know. He asked me as well," Vincent replied. Then, he frowned. "What does a godfather _do_, exactly? I'm not terribly experienced with children, as you know. Especially...infants."

"Means you gotta change its crappy diapers, Vinnie!" Yuffie interjected, guffawing. Shera smiled.

"Well...perhaps," Shera said, chuckling. "Though I don't think we'd be _that_ cruel to you, Vincent. Mainly...you'll be a role model and a support to the child as she grows. And watch out for her if her parents cannot do so."

"_She_?" Vincent repeated, smiling at Shera. "The Captain keeps talking about a son."

"It's a girl," Shera said firmly. "Cid is just in denial."

"Well….he seems to have accepted the fact that he's going to be a father pretty well," Cloud said, shaking his head. "I'm not sure _I've_ really wrapped my head around it, actually." The group laughed at that; really, nobody present, Shera herself included, could really picture _Cid Highwind_ changing diapers, and getting up for middle-of-the-night feedings. Yet here it was, about to happen, along with a trip into outer space. It was all too much to comprehend at times, for those who knew and loved Cid.

Nigel, one of the senior engineers from Shinra's space program, came out into the spectator's area, and signaled to Shera.

"We're go for launch, so I need you back at your station," Nigel told her. "Very exciting day, isn't it?" he commented as Shera bid Cid's friends farewell, then returned to her workstation back inside.

"Yes," Shera replied, nodding her head vigorously. "Very exciting." Shera's stomach did a flip as she sat down once again, and put her headset back on. _Exciting…and also terrifying_. Even though countless tests had been done on the spacecraft in the past year, Shera was smart enough to know that even though something might look good on paper, anything could go wrong during the actual launch, or afterwards, once Cid was actually in outer space.

As Shera spoke to Cid one more time, reminding him to check everything over yet again, she said a silent prayer to any deity who might be listening.

_Bring him back safely_, Shera prayed. _That's all I ask. Please…_

* * *

A jarring voice crackled over the intercom, and the countdown began. "Ten...Nine...Eight...Seven..."

"This is so exciting!" Yuffie squeaked, her eyes wide with joy. Tifa smiled at her.

"It really is," Tifa replied, moving closer to Cloud. "We're watching history being made."

"Quite impressive, really," Rufus murmured to Tseng, nodding. _Mental note, increase the budget for the space program if this mission goes off without a hitch._

"Five...four...three...two...one. _Ignition_!" The roar of the rockets could be heard via the two way-speaker in the cockpit, as well as outside the facility. Vincent strode over to a window, glancing at the spacecraft some distance away; Rufus and the Turks joined him there, just staring in awe at the thing.

"Magnificent, isn't it?" Rufus murmured, clearly pleased. "I'm glad I've re-invested in our space program…our engineers have really outdone themselves this time, in building this rocket. And Captain Highwind, of course…I can think of no better man to pilot the craft on its maiden voyage."

"Nor can I," Vincent replied, surprised that he actually agreed with Rufus Shinra on anything. But what the man said was true. Cid knew what he was doing, and there was no better qualified pilot on the planet to take the rocket on a solo trip to the moon.

Up in the spacecraft, Cid's excitement was such that he felt he was about to come right out of his skin. He couldn't hear much of anything above the deafening roar of the rockets, and he'd barely heard the voice in his earpiece counting down. The force of the rocket lifting off thrust Cid back into the seat, hard; he was basically lying on his back looking up as the spacecraft took off, reaching maximum velocity in what felt like just seconds.

"And we have liftoff!" came a voice over the PA system; all eyes turned toward the window as the rocket lifted off of the Launchpad, and ascended into the heavens, breaching the stratosphere. Cheers broke out from the control room, with everyone hooting and hollering. It would be a month before Cid reached the moon, then another month for the return voyage; Shera sucked in her breath, relieved that the launch had gone well, first and second-stage separation of the rockets had gone well also; now, all they could do was to watch, wait, and pray that everything went well.

After it was safe to move around the cabin, Cid unbuckled himself from his seat, floating about and feeling utterly giddy, being weightless. He'd gone through the simulator back on Gaia, but this was the real thing, and already it was beyond his wildest dreams.

Cid had finally done it. He was in outer space, quickly adjusting to weightlessness, moving about the cabin with an ease that seemed innate, not something he'd had to learn and master in the zero gravity simulator back home. He was born to do this, and it was everything he'd ever dreamed of, and more. _Funny_, he thought to himself as he entered the small galley kitchen, preparing one of the freeze-dried MRE's that would serve as his lunch. _Time was when I thought I'd like to go to the moon and never come back._ Cid glanced out of the small window over his head, and his jaw dropped open. Out there, set against the inky black nothingness of space, was the Planet, bright blue swirls of blue and green and white, luminous in its appearance.

"Holy shit," Cid cursed in a whisper, nearly dropping the MRE from his hand. He didn't know what else to say, really, he was so awestruck by the sight. Cid tucked the MRE packet back under his arm, and swam through the air, back to his sleeping quarters; there, he had a bag stuffed with his personal effects, strapped down to prevent it from floating away.

He took a camera out of the bag and strapped it to his wrist to keep it from floating about the cabin, and took a picture out of the window, zooming in on the western continent, and the general area near Rocket Town; this one was for Shera. Cid then took a few more, those would be sent to the space program's director once they were uploaded.

"_Home_," Cid uttered out loud, his voice echoing loudly throughout the cabin, making him painfully aware how _alone_ he was out here. "That's my home."

* * *

**A/N: So much for a little one-shot, eh? Up to 5,000 words (and counting!) on this fic, it's getting so big I had to split it up into two chapters. I hope you all enjoy this, this is an idea that's been brewing for some time, and I'm glad to finally get it written!**

**I have about 99% of the next chapter completed, so I hope to post that soon as well. Please let me know what you think! **


	2. Chapter 2

A month went by, and Cid's spacecraft was finally approaching the moon, and the anticipation was more than he could bear. The night before the planned landing on the moon, Cid didn't sleep one wink. In near-constant communication with ground control back home on Gaia, Cid took readings, checked gauges, flipped switches; checked, double-checked, triple-checked, and beyond. He knew that the spacecraft was more than ready for a successful landing, yet there was always that what if at the back of his mind.

_Got a lot to live for back home_, Cid told himself, as he took the controls, guiding the spacecraft into its final approach. _Gotta make it back home to my wife…my friends...baby... _He shook his head at that last thought, smiling to himself. _I'm gonna be a papa_, Cid thought, grinning. _Who knew?_

As the space craft touched down slowly to the surface of the moon, Cid gazed with wonder and astonishment out at the sandy, barren lunar landscape. There was a bump and a bit of a jolt as the landing gear settled into the rocky, dusty surface of the moon, but Cid was no worse for the wear, and the ship itself was fine as well. Once everything settled, Cid swam over to his locker, ready to don a spacesuit and helmet.

Cid was about to step outside and walk on the surface of the moon. Some legends held that the Cetra had actually hailed from the moon; gazing out into the quiet desolation as he exited the capsule, Cid couldn't even picture it, though who really knew what this barren planet might have looked like thousands, or even millions of years ago? Cid tested his tether, securing it tightly to the handle of the spacecraft door, his toolkit in one hand. Inside the small plastic box that looked very much like a cooler to hold his beers, was a camera, several jars and a spade for collecting soil and rock samples, and a time capsule, containing a map and coordinates for the Planet. Cid thought this last one was rather stupid and redundant; if any aliens made it as far as the moon, they'd definitely see where Gaia was located, pretty quickly.

* * *

_"Besides...isn't that a bad idea, inviting aliens in?" Cid had argued with Shera, some months before the day of the launch. "Didn't we learn anything from Jenova and her crazy shit?"_

_"This is different," Shera had replied. "It's a means to communicate, to let visitors know we are a friendly people."_

_"But we're not," Cid had pressed on. "We start wars and forget why, we blow shit up, we hurt each other..." He touched Shera's hand, briefly, and gave her a sad look._

**_But some of us are forgiven, even if we don't deserve it, _**_he thought._

_"Never gonna understand you scientists," Cid had replied, shaking his head as he chuckled._

* * *

Cid tapped at his helmet near his ear, and blew into the communicator that was nestled inside the space helmet near his mouth. "Testing...1, 2, 3, hey, you guys read me?"

"Loud and clear, captain!" came the reply.

"Good," Cid replied, taking in a deep breath of air. As he exhaled, his breath fogged up the visor of his space helmet. The spacesuit was bulky, clumsy; the layers needed to protect Cid from the freezing cold temperatures of outer space. He touched the camera that was mounted to the outside of his helmet, tapping it with gloved fingers, squinting into the viewfinder inside his helmet. The landscape before him seemed cold, desolate; untouched by man or beast. Even though the moon seemed to be completely devoid of organic life, Cid found a peace here that he'd never realized back home on the Planet. He inhaled deeply, oxygen feeding through to him from the large pack on his back.

"Can you guys see all this?" Cid asked his voice full of wonder and awe as he took in the scene all around him. He moved his head slowly from left to right, then back again, panning so that everyone back home would be able to see the entire panorama on their feed.

"I see it, Cid," Shera replied through her microphone, her eyes shining with tears. "You did it. You really, really did it."

"Yeah," Cid replied, beaming. "Hey, is Vin still down there, and the others? Tell them I'm on the fucking _moon_!" he shouted, hooting and hollering. Vincent, Cloud, and everyone else gathered together laughed at that. Vincent smiled, his eyes lighting up at the sight of Cid in his spacesuit, about to exit the capsule and actually _walk_ on the moon. Vincent picked up the microphone given to him and spoke into it.

"Chief, I see you up there," Vincent called to Cid. "You going to take your walk now?" The grizzled pilot-turned-astronaut grinned widely and chuckled at Vincent's question.

"Yeah!" Cid replied, giving a thumbs-up sign. "Just going to the corner store to buy a pack of cigarettes. Be right back!" he joked, cackling at his own corny humor. Vincent and the others laughed along with him.

"I'm taking my first step outside!" Cid announced, hesitantly placing a booted foot into the soft moon sand; the soil was powdery and light, and gave way easily beneath Cid's foot. He bounded out slowly, the lack of gravity on the moon making him leap, gazelle-like, the hundred-foot long tether that tied him to the lunar craft keeping him anchored and safe.

"Walking on the moon," Cid marveled, breathing heavily. "The goddamned moon." He still couldn't quite believe it; a lifelong dream had finally become reality. He kept walking - bounding, really, feeling like a kid at a bounce house.

"Check this out, Sher," Cid said joyfully, bouncing over a small dune, his tether snaking behind him, the only lifeline he had out in the emptiness of space. "Hey, guess how much I weigh on the moon, anyway?"

"About twenty-eight pounds," Shera replied, giggling. "Cid? We need you to get those soil samples, do you have the kit?"

"Yeah, I do," Cid said, nodding, holding it up in his left hand. "Where should I go first?"

"Um...let me verify on the map," Shera told him, going over the coordinates on her screen. "Near the Highlands, Cid, that is the first point. You're about fifty paces from there right now."

Cid squinted into the distance, and nodded. "Yeah...I see it," he replied. "Got the tools and stuff here. Gimme a mo an' I'll get it done." Cid slowly made his way toward the targeted area, making sure to pan around with his helmet-cam so that everyone back at ground control could see what he could. He felt a strange tugging just as he reached where he needed to be; glancing behind him, Cid saw that he was near the end of the tether, and could go no further.

"Shit," he muttered, cursing, nearly dropping the geological tool kit.

"Everything okay, Cid?" Shera's voice came over the commlink, carefully keeping the note of fear out of her voice; it wouldn't do to alarm Cid in the middle of his spacewalk.

"S'fine, Sher," Cid replied. "Ran out of slack on the tether. I'm where I need to be, I'll be fine - "Then, to Cid's horror - and everyone else's - a ripping sound was heard as the tether separated from the capsule, and began floating away into space, with Cid following behind, trying in vain to stay on the ground.

"Goddamn it!" Cid shouted, grabbing at rocks to try and weigh him down, but it was of no use; gravity on the moon was far reduced compared to how it was on Gaia, and Cid's weight just wasn't enough to keep him on the ground.

"_Cid_!" Shera screamed. Hands shaking, she dropped her headset as she stood up from her workstation, tears streaming her eyes. In the viewing lounge, Vincent's eyes flashed angry red, and he immediately made a beeline toward Shera, busting through the armed guard at the door.

"Stand down," Vincent told the guard coldly. The guard knew who Vincent was, and had no intention of shooting him, really.

"Sir, you're not supposed to be in here," the guard protested dumbly. Vincent ignored him, and barked, "Give me a headset," as the others joined him near Shera's desk. Tifa's eyes filled with tears, and she took Shera's hand in her own.

"What can we do?" Cloud asked, feeling helpless. "Anything?"

Reno kicked the ground and cursed, Rufus by his side. "Shit. Hate not being able to do nothing," he muttered, sighing. He glanced over to Rude and Elena, their faces showing horror and disbelief.

"How did this happen?" Rufus asked, his tone light, but he meant business. This should not have happened, and he knew that one of two things had happened; human error, perhaps on Cid's part, or some sort of defect with the tether, or the spacesuit itself.

"Fuck!" came Cid's irritated sounding voice over the loudspeakers. "Goddamn fucking hell, I shoulda stayed in bed today!" He watched the moon, now below him as he floated away, and realized too that his audio feed was breaking up, the further he moved away from the spacecraft.

"Tell Shera - " Cid gasped out as his air began to run out. "Tell my wife I love her - never said it enough, god damn it."

"I know you do!" Shera replied, openly sobbing now. She took her glasses off - she was crying so hard she couldn't see anyway, and laid them on her desk. "Cid...oh Cid, how did this happen? _Why_?"

_All these demons that reside within me, and there is not a thing I can do to save my best friend_, Vincent thought, feeling utterly helpless and useless. Cid was a small white dot up on the screen.

"I wanna - talk to Vin, air's runnin' out," Cid managed to get out. "Vin - buddy - you there? It's breaking up – you're breaking up - " It felt as if something was sitting on Cid's chest, with his oxygen being so quickly depleted.

"Right here, Captain," Vincent replied immediately, keeping his voice calm, though he felt anything but. "Cid -

"Tell Shera I love her," Cid rasped. He held his gloved hand out in front of his face; had he been able to see beneath the many layers of material, he would have seen that his fingernails were turning blue, as were his lips.

"I think she knows that, chief," Vincent replied, clenching his jaw as Chaos stirred within him. He cast a sympathetic glance at Shera, who was dissolved into tears; Tifa was attempting to comfort her. _Why isn't there anything I can do! _Vincent thought angrily.

_Perhaps…there **is** something I can do._ Chaos's wings unfurled and someone let out a scream as Vincent transformed fully into the monster that dwelled within him, and took off like a shot through a plate glass window, the glass shattering all around him as he burst through.

Cloud and Reno glanced at each other; panicked, and then rushed outside, jumping through the destroyed window, glass crunching beneath their feet.

"What in the hell is he doing, yo!" Reno shouted at Cloud, who shook his head.

"I don't know," Cloud admitted, staring helplessly at the sky. Chaos was now a small dot up in the stratosphere; Cloud squinted against the bright sunlight as he tried to follow Vincent's movements.

"I just don't know," Cloud repeated. "He's obviously going after Cid…I don't even know if Vincent – or Chaos – can survive like that, in outer space."

"If he doesn't, then we will have lost two great men today," Rufus said solemnly, as he joined Cloud and Reno. "We can only pray that this will turn out well.

The endless inky blackness of space suddenly wavered and moved in front of Cid's eyes. He shook his head, certain that he was hallucinating or something like that, from lack of oxygen. Green lights swam before him, and he knew right away what it meant.

"She's here," Cid suddenly announced his voice clear and crisp over the loudspeaker, with no sign of struggling for air as he had been. "Aerith's here…to take me home." Silence fell over the control room back on Gaia; Vincent's mouth hung open, as did else's, as nobody knew quite what to say.

"Knew it was you, when I saw that damned pink hair bow of yours bobbin' along," Cid muttered teasingly, ribbing Aerith. The Cetra laughed as she extended her hand to him, her smile gentle as she coaxed him to come along with her. His helmet and spacesuit were gone, and he was clad in his street clothes once again.

"I'm dead, ain't I," Cid grumbled, grasping Aerith's hand. They seemed to be swimming through the Lifestream – at least, that was what Cid supposed it was.

"Technically? Yes," Aerith replied. "But I'm taking you back."

"What?" Cid exclaimed, "Back _where_, kid?" he demanded.

Aerith laughed, taking Cid's hand in her own. "Back home, silly! Come on…they're waiting for you, Cid…they're waiting…"

"Well, _now_ I know I must be dead," Cid muttered. "Because I am _definitely_ hallucinating all this shit that's happening right now."

* * *

With a sudden jolt, Cid was jerked to and fro, and came to; Aerith was gone, he was once again floating in the black emptiness of space, utterly alone. His oxygen was nearly completed depleted, death was imminent. _What the hell, Aerith? You brought me back just so I could die again? What was the point in that? _

Out of the corner of his eye, Cid saw a fluttering movement, of crimson-tipped wings unfurling.

"What in the blue _hell_?" If there had been a cigarette dangling from his mouth, it would have fallen straight out. It was Chaos; Vincent had transformed into the beast that dwelled within him, and flown to the outer reaches of space to rescue his friend. Luminous red eyes looked down at Cid, who held no fear toward the creature, he'd witnessed the transformation countless times before; but Cid did feel fear for what was about to come.

"No, no, _no_!" Cid shouted within the enclosure his space helmet. "Vincent! You idiot! We'll burn up on re-entry, going like this!" Cid swore he saw the bastard _smirk_ at him before grabbing him about the torso, wings flapping back toward the moon.

_Oh_, Cid thought dumbly. _He's taking me back to the capsule._ _Not back to the Planet. Okay...that makes more sense._ Chaos held Cid tightly under one monstrous arm as he wrestled with the airlock, quickly getting it open. He pushed Cid inside and ducked in right behind him, shutting the door.

As soon as the airlock was shut, Chaos took a great, greedy lungful of air, as the creature began to morph back into its human form. Cid's gloved hands scrabbled at the helmet, trying to get it off so he could take in some air. As soon as Vincent's hands were his own once again - more or less - he assisted Cid with lifting the space helmet off of his head.

"Quickly, chief," Vincent muttered, concerned at the bluish cast Cid's face had taken. "Let's get you into the oxygen chamber." As Cid stumbled about the inner cabin, Vincent held him up, and helped him over to the oxygen chamber, instructing Cid to man to lay down.

"You're going to feel light-headed, Cid," Vincent warned him. "You nearly ran out of air, so you're likely to be quite dizzy."

Cid shook his head and groaned as he settled onto the cushion. "Didn't just nearly run out of air, it ran out _completely_, Vin," he argued. "Look. Look at the tank meter." Vincent raised an eyebrow but said nothing as he glanced at the discarded oxygen tank that was on the floor.

"That..." Vincent closed his eyes, then opened them again. "How did that happen, captain? Technically, you should be dead."

"Technically, I _was_ dead," Cid shot back. "Seriously. Lifestream, I saw Aerith, that whole bit. She booted my ass back here."

Vincent stared at Cid again, and began laughing, a deep, rich sound that filled the cabin. "Well now," he said. "I'm a bit familiar with returning from the dead."

Cid cackled at that, which sent him into a coughing fit. He pulled the oxygen mask over his mouth again, and breathed deeply. "Yeah, I guess you do," he replied, snickering. "It's weird, ya know? Dying like that. You get that moment of panic, thinking of all the shit you forgot to do; almost like when ya leave the house and wonder if you left the stove on, but uh...bit stronger than that, I guess."

Vincent nodded. He knew all too well what Cid meant about unspoken regrets. "Think you'll be well enough to pilot us home, chief?" Vincent asked.

"Yep," Cid replied easily. "Let me get rested a bit here, get my head out of my ass...then we're heading home, Vin. Man...how am I gonna ever going to be able to thank you for saving my _life_?"

Vincent's mouth worked into a small smile as he said, "Well...I do need a new phone."


End file.
